With the arrival of Loki's Giant Race warriors and Red-Hair ' pirate crew, the oppressive atmosphere on the battlefield eased considerably!
It's possible that external forces have joined the fray, causing both sides to become distracted.
Vic also slowly walked back. He was not injured. When Loki's head appeared above the mountain peak, Vic's Observation Haki sensed the two separate auras moving forward!
One of these groups consisted of Giant Race warriors led by Loki.
Another group consists of the Red Hair Pirates led by Shanks, as well as remnants of Roger Pirates such as Dark King Rayleigh, Mountain Eater Gaban, and Crocus the Guardian of Twin Cape!
Of course, there was also a woman mixed in with them, namely Shakky, the owner of the Shakky's Rip-off Bar!
So after Shanks crossed the mountain peak and entered the valley, Vic also got up from the mountain wall behind him and started walking back!
According to the flight schedule, Red-Hair should have arrived at Lodestar Island long ago, but instead of acting alone, he went to Shanks Amazon to pick up Rayleigh and Shakky.
Then they traveled across most of the New World to Elbaf, where they met Gaban and Crocus, who had come to visit!
Finally, after Loki gathered all the troops for the expedition, they set off together and arrived here. Although Loki didn't like Shanks very much, he didn't intend to fight to the death!
"What a brutal war!"
Shanks led his men to the front of the battlefield. Looking at the corpses and wounded scattered everywhere, as well as the Lodestar Island that had been completely destroyed, he felt quite emotional.
He knew that this war was bound to come sooner or later. Individual will could not stop the tide of history. When contradictions accumulated to a certain extent, they were bound to erupt. This is the law of society!
Roger's sacrifice was not in vain; this day has finally come!
Rayleigh had aged considerably, but his back remained straight; he was still the same handsome old man with an extraordinary air about him!
Since Hancock and Vic left Amazon Lily, he and Shakky have stayed there. They do not participate in the management of Amazon Lily, but they will not stand idly by if there is an invasion by foreign enemies!
Rayleigh became Hancock's new guardian after she left Amazon Lily. With Rayleigh's name as the Dark King Rayleigh, the Amazon Lily enjoyed peace for many years!
"I never thought Roger would have a heart for the common people; he was quite unreliable when he was young!"
Shakky also sighed, saying that her experiences in her youth were legendary. She was hailed as the most beautiful woman in the world, and there were few pirates in the entire New World who could resist her beauty and charm!
This included Gol D. Roger, who had not yet become the Pirate King. Not only him, but every member of the Roger Pirates was captivated by her!
Even Rayleigh, who appeared the most reserved, couldn't escape it, though he buried his feelings deep inside, caught in a dilemma.
It was precisely this reserve and contradiction that Rayleigh displayed that made Shakky look at him differently!
Young Roger, however, was completely devoted to her, even feeling happy when she beat him. Such an unreliable person later conquered the entire Grand Line and became the Pirate King!
Later, he surrendered himself and faced death, thus beginning the Great Pirate Era and opening a new chapter. A man's growth often happens in a single moment!
"Actually, we didn't want a seasoned captain, but unfortunately, the tide of the times has swept over us!"
Both Gaban and Rayleigh were seasoned ladies' men in their youth, but Rayleigh only settled down after meeting Shakky, the vice-captain of the Kuja Pirates.
Gaban, on the other hand, voluntarily went to Elbaf after the Roger Pirates disbanded, finally stopping his womanizing ways. He ended up with a Giant Race girl and they even had a son. He's truly a role model for us all!
The two groups arrived on the battlefield with overwhelming momentum, attracting almost all attention, especially Rayleigh and the Roger Pirates!
Many people had already read the newspapers and learned about some of the Roger Pirates ' plans, which began after their return from Laugh Tale. Therefore, everyone had different thoughts about the Roger Pirates!
"Mr. Rayleigh! Mr. Gaban! And Uncle Crocus! Why did Red-Hair bring them all here? This place isn't safe!"
Buggy was excited to see old acquaintances, but he was more worried about the safety of these older people, after all, Rayleigh and the others were not young anymore!
It wasn't that Red-Hair wanted to bring Rayleigh and the others; rather, Rayleigh and the others wanted to witness this important historical moment firsthand and volunteered to come, for themselves and for their captain, Gol D. Roger!
"Hahaha! Uncle Rayleigh! Shakky! Uncle Crocus! Uncle Gaban! And Shanks, we finally meet again!"
Luffy was even happier, as everyone who came was an acquaintance he knew well and someone he had a lot of experience with.
For example, Crocus gave the Grand Line compass to the Straw Hat Pirates, guiding them in their direction. He also taught Nami and the others a lot of common knowledge about the Grand Line.
Needless to say, Rayleigh saved them from Kizaru's clutches, served as Luffy's mentor for nearly two years, and even had their pirate ship coated by Rayleigh. That's a huge debt of gratitude for protecting them!
Although Shakky did not take direct action, she provided a lot of useful information, and what she did was very important.
Gaban also acted as a temporary teacher, passing on advanced Conqueror's Haki's Haki to Luffy and Zoro, which allowed them to leave Elbaf safely. He could be considered a protector, albeit in a way.
Shanks, needless to say, was the one who guided Luffy onto the path of piracy, the one who created the opportunity to bring the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika to Luffy's mouth, and the one who solidified Luffy's direction with a promise. One step at a time, he finally propelled Luffy to where he is today!
" Luffy! You've finally become a great pirate, worthy of that hat I cherish so much!"
After scanning the entire battlefield, Shanks gave a focused look at Garling, Shamrock, Vic, and Uta before finally fixing his gaze on Luffy.
He deliberately stole the Gum-Gum Fruit; it wasn't a sudden idea. He also went to the East Blue on his own initiative, but not to Luffy or Ace!
He went to the East Blue following the will of the Gum-Gum Fruit, and in the end, the will of the Gum-Gum Fruit subsided in Makino's bar.
Shanks didn't know who the will of the Gum-Gum Fruit had chosen, so he just blatantly placed it on the bar, waiting for that person to approach him!
At the bar, Shanks met a very interesting kid named Monkey D. Luffy!
Shanks couldn't help but marvel at the coincidence of fate; this was the hometown of that troublesome Hero of the Marines, and that interesting child might very well be his grandson!
Fortunately, that Hero of the Marines did not return to the East Blue to visit his family during this time!
Shanks found Luffy very interesting, and Luffy also found Shanks and his crew very interesting and free-spirited. They had something that attracted each other, and eventually became friends!
For a long time, the Gum-Gum Fruit went unnoticed. Although Shanks waited patiently, he had already focused his suspicions on that amusing kid who came to the bar every day to freeload!
He began his guidance, telling Luffy his adventures as stories, which deeply captivated him. Until Luffy ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, his mission was almost complete, and all that was left was to set a goal for him!